Independent participatory media for Iran

Abbasali Kadkhodayi, the spokesman for the Guardian Council, announced today that the list of presidential candidates approved by the council has been forwarded to the Interior Ministry.

Khadkhodayi stressed that recent media reports about which candidates have been approved are incorrect.

In the past two days, a number of media outlets and sites linked to conservatives have said that Ayatollah Rafsanjani, who represents reformists, and Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, who’s been endorsed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been disqualified by the Guardian Council.

Some have speculated that Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani may be disqualified for his age. The moderate cleric is 78 years old, and there has been a debate about whether his age is a factor in determining if he could take on the responsibilities of being president.